UK Based Band, Abandon, Picks North Shore to Record

A UK band heads to On the Fringe Studio in West Newbury to record a rock album and stage dive into American music culture.

For the past two weeks the five members of the UK rock band, Abandon, have called On the Fringe Studio in West Newbury their home. Joe Cannatelli, who is working with the guys on their album, came across the band while in the UK a few months back. Impressed by their talent, Cannatelli invited the band back to the US to record in the full service, 3,000 square-foot private facility on the North Shore. All five band members jumped at the opportunity to get a taste of the American music culture. Band mates Dean, Tom, Jason, Mitchell, and James weigh in on their experience with American music fans and why they’ll be back to the US for more.

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How did you all meet? A few of us met at music college, but we’re all from around the same area near Nottingham, England. We all sort of knew each other and when Dean decided to form the band in 2007, the rest of us willingly came on board. I guess you could say we’ve been rockin’ and rollin’ ever since.

Dean, why did you decide to form Abandon in 2007? I’ve wanted to be in a rock band since seeing Def Leppard in concert when I was 18. I’m the oldest in the band, and I just never got the opportunity to be a part of something like this until meeting these absolutely talented musicians about four years ago. It’s been a dream come true for me.

Being from the UK, why did you travel to West Newbury to record this album? Joe Cannatelli is a friend who was in the UK organizing shows for business. We got to know that he had a place out here and we were really impressed by it. It’s a brilliant place, and we saw it as an opportunity for a holiday as well.

How have you enjoyed your time at On the Fringe Studio? We haven’t been let down. It has been absolutely wonderful, but there are days when you’re playing for six or seven hours straight and it can be a bit tiring. But, this was also our first time in a proper studio. We’ve been in studios before, but nothing quite this serious.

Has being in the US influenced your music at all? It’s a good experience playing in front of American people. The American audience is very different; we realized how tough it is. They’re good but they don’t really show much emotion until after the show.

How is the American audience different from the audience you’re used to back in the UK? In the UK, we’re used to playing a show and having the attention of the audience, then afterwards they’ll sort of mill around you. Where as here, it’s almost the exact opposite. The American audience will give you a bit of appreciation, but then afterward they’ll make a point to come and say that was really good, or that was terrible. I think the music is more serious here. Where we’re from there is one music shop, and here, there are music venues and shops everywhere. It’s just bigger and better in the US; I think the UK could learn a thing or two.

Are you planning to come back here in the future to record another album or play any gigs? We would love to. It would be brilliant. We’ll start saving our pennies as soon as we get back, if just for the hospitality if anything else.

What’s next for the band? Sleep! No, we’ve got a busy schedule when we get back, playing gigs and playing at a few new places. But, just to say that we’ve been to the States and we’ve got an album is the main thing to promote

If you could have done anything different while you were here, what would you have done? Bring another towel and more socks! I think we would have all liked to bring our own instruments with us. But we wouldn’t have hoped for anything different. We have been overwhelmed by the hospitality here; No matter how many times you say thank you, it’s never enough.